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This evening, I had the pleasure of cooking a three-course meal for a friend of mine. I was invited into his beautiful home filled with outstanding artwork and an amazing energy. The moment I walked in I was transported from the noisy, haphazard streets of Manhattan into an oasis of tranquility and calm. I was enveloped in a cozy and comfortable sensation that beckoned my authentic self. There was no need to defend, no reason to hide. This sanctuary was made for acceptance. This was a home.

Living in small apartments and moving year after year has left its trace of stress. It is never anything permanent, nor too much to bear, but rather a discomfort or a strong unease. Uprooting one’s life is never an easy action. Sometimes it is exactly what is needed, other times it is more of an unnecessary hassle. Yet each time I have rerooted my life, I strive for the same sense of home that I grew up with; the same sensation I immediately gathered when walking into my friend’s apartment this evening.

Home.

It is like walking into a blanket that has just been pulled out of the dryer. Or maybe it’s like gliding into a warm body of water. I think I could even describe it as that feeling just moments before falling asleep. It is a perfect harmonious combination of ease and vibrancy. The encompassing nature of this energy is by definition soothing. It is the feeling of unconditional acceptance.

Many people live in a house, but not every house is a home. And that is the one thing that I make sure to bring with me every relocation I make. My life could never be complete without my home. Yet my home is not dependent on things. Beyond all my favorite decorations, homemade artwork and extremely sentimental items the essence of home is something I cultivate from within. Without this grounding anchor, my surroundings would never represent my idea of what home is.

I do love my incense.

Our environments reflect our state of being. I like to think of my home as a divine place, a sanctuary where all are welcome to relax, recuperate and enjoy. When I have guests over I notice they feel at ease the moment they walk in. I also notice that it is not the material things (or lack thereof) of my apartment but rather the energy I have been projecting. I like to think of the furniture, the walls, the colors and even the air of my home as an energetic ledger that is constantly recording vibration. Every thought I think, every song I play, every word I speak gets recorded into this invisible notebook. As these spaces gather specific vibrations, they build upon each other, developing relationships to their own surroundings. In this way, a commons is born.

Singing bowls, gongs, mantras and pleasant music will all support higher vibration.

The more I meditate, chant, pray and bless in my apartment, the more my apartment takes on those actions. Stored in their physical being, their very vibratory make-up (as we are all just the sum totals of sound vibration) takes on what I put out.

Have you ever been to a really crumby place? Maybe a hopeless hospital wing or a drugged out dealer’s pad (not that I would know). These places can be dark, unwelcoming and draining. It isn’t because the real estate itself is possessed, but rather its occupants are emitting a certain vibratory frequency which manifests its self in certain ways. Have you ever noticed a place that has been uplifted? Maybe an awesome yoga center moves into a town or a community garden is completed. When these types of frequencies enter into the energetic ledger, vibrations begin to rise and other results manifest.

This is not to say that one is better than the other. I will leave you to decide which vibration you choose. It is not the duality of the situation I would like to call attention to, but rather the mechanics of it. Our environment is an extension of our self. We are only a product of our surroundings and they one of us. This deep, intimate connection can never be severed, and although we cannot tangible see it (sometimes we can), this principle of existence is more concrete than the voice inside your head that is telling you it is not.

I was graced by great karma to spend just a few hours sharing the wonderful company of another’s spiritual abode. We are all graced by even greater karma that we can remain in that feeling where ever we go by just becoming aware of our vibration.

If you’d like a simple way to elevate your home’s vibration, try playing mantras. You don’t even need to hear them. Their vibratory effect will work just as long as they are playing at the slightest volume. Here are a few free ones you can download.

When I began this blog, I set out with a very simple, but important concept. I wanted to improve my writing, but in a manner that was both useful and not self-absorbed. I am not proud to admit that the last post I wrote did not stand up to either of these goals.

After rereading it today, it is apparent that I was upset when I wrote it. Without going into details, January has been a very frustrating month for me. What’s worse is that I am beginning to see my discontent spilling over into other areas of my life (enter yesterday’s post). I understand that emotions will extend into actions every so often and that each day my actions will represent my consciousness. However, what I am not willing to accept is that my personal emotions be extended negatively outward, especially in a venue that is being shared with the world (or blogosphere). For this I apologize. I took a completely valid topic and turned it into my punching bag, spewing negative energy across the universe. I’d now like to rewrite this post in a manner more conducive to positivity so that we may learn something beneficial or understand something expansive, or at the least just enjoy ourselves.

I also promise to never go on a negative, self-absorbed rant again.

If You Wish to Save the World, You Must First Save Yourself

(An energetical retake)

Saving the world has become quite a booming business. It most likely started with the whales, but has since moved into discussions of the atmosphere, the planet, and even the universe. But what so many often forget is that the world—which we believe we are bringing to an end—is actually just a projection of ourselves. In this reflective mirror, we can see the state of our consciousness as a global collective as well as a representation of the actions we take. Both on a spiritual and literal plane, the earth is our planetary manifestation.

In yesterday’s post, I focused on how resilient the Earth is, which is absolutely correct (if we destroyed the climate, disrupted oceanic pathways, and decimated all life, the Earth would recover). However, going past this disconnected explanation of our relationship with the Earth, I’d like to reclaim our eternal connection to her.

As our home, the Earth is directly connected to us. Think of your room. When you are busy, upset, happy, energetic, or sad how does you room look? I am sure for all of us individuals, different appearances are created from different emotions, but the important idea behind this is that your environment reflects your state of being, your consciousness. Often times we allow our emotions to control our consciousness. When this occurs you get blog posts that are filled with anger =). This is not good. Our emotions are here to serve us. They tell us when we are in need, they relay messages of experience, and they contribute to our learning. They are not who we are, but a part of our experience as humans. We are much more than our human bodies and mind.

These guys are here to serve you.

With this understanding comes another: the idea that we control our environments with our thoughts. This can translate as newage intentionality or into a logical sequences of events. Let’s begin with the former. We have all heard of the book (or movie) The Secret. In hopes of saving you time, the one sentence version goes like this: Thoughts manifest into reality. Although there are a bunch of techniques and ideas that the movie offers, the main idea is that your thoughts have consequences. Now, what does this spell out for the Earth? Well, if you take a look at all of the negative thoughts and actions occurring today (war, pollution, racism, suppression, etc.) you can get a better understanding of how we are affecting the environment we live in.

As a logical approach, our thoughts, which are formed into actions, have tangible affects. For instance, if Person A thinks, “Well, I don’t care about the environment, I just want money,” his or her thought may manifest into a business that supports pollution and suppresses green technology. In this sense, energy skeptics can start to understand that our world is a reflection of what we think.

This is exactly why we must set out to change ourselves if we wish to change the world. A great and well-known quote from Mahatma Gandhi sums it up eloquently, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” By clearing our heads, expanding our awareness and enlightening our consciousness, we will act out of a higher state. In this state we will begin to approach decisions that affect our environment differently. As we reach higher states of universal consciousness, we’ll realize that the Earth and our bodies are one in the same. In this way, we’ll save the world.

From his thought, he liberated a country

In fact, this process has already begun. Many across the globe are contributing in their own ways and a network of conscious individuals is aligning rapidly. You can see it in our food system. There is a uniform calling to reform our industrialized system. From India to Peru, farmers and people alike are standing up for their right to enjoy food that will support their well-being. I can speak of food because it is what I know best, but I see it in other areas as well; politics, health care, spirituality, and even slowly in the media. We are beginning to wake up and realize that if we want to enjoy a future on this planet, we are going to have to treat it with respect. This same respect must be shown to ourselves.

And in this process of self-salvation, we will indubitably save the world.